767 Black-hearted Couple (4)
âSheâs probably up to something again.â Shen Miao said, âShe even invited me to smell the incense.â She paused for a moment before smiling. âFrom the looks of it, the Wang is doing not bad.â
Tasting tea and wine was within expectation, but smelling the incense was different. Some of the top-grade incense was worth thousands of gold. Shen Miao knew that the most expensive incense was the jade pear incense. A small fingernail amount of it cost ten thousand taels of gold. Once, a merchant from the Western Region paid tribute to the palace and offered a fistful of jade pear incense. At that time, all the consorts in the harem came to see it, and Shen Miao also found it very novel.
Shen Miao had always thought that the jade pear incense would be stored in the treasury. After all, it was a very precious thing. Later, on Consort Meiâs birthday, Fu Xiuyi lit the jade pear incense to make her smile. On the invitation, Shen Dongling said that she prepared peacock incense. It was not as rare as jade pear incense, but it was also expensive. Given the official rank of the Wang family, they wouldnât be able to afford it. After all, many first-grade officials in the capital would not squander money like this. It was obvious that Shen Dongling had married into a family with a strong financial foundation. Shen Miao wondered if Shen Yue would be angry when she found out about it.
âPeacock incense is not cheap. She spent so much money definitely not just to catch up with me.â
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âDo you think sheâs trying to scheme against you?â Xie Jingxing raised his eyebrows and asked.
âShen Dongling is not like Shen Yue. She is not stupid. I guess she wants me to go because she is planning something. If I go, it will only make it easier for her to execute her plan. If I donât go, I wonât lose anything.â Shen Miao smiled. âIâm just surprised that the Wang family actually has so much money.â She looked at Xie Jingxing. When Shen Miao saw Shen Dongling at the execution ground, she noticed that Shen Donglingâs clothes and jewelry were extremely precious. No matter how much Wang Bi doted on her, he would not be happy with her squandering enormous money. Then how did the Wang family get so much money?
Xie Jingxing saw Shen Miaoâs pensive gaze and said tactfully, âThe Wang family is the crown princeâs people. The crown prince is secretly doing business with the salt smugglers, and Wang Bi is the middleman.â
Shen Miao was enlightened. Salt smuggling was a business with huge benefits. No wonder the Wang family was doing well. Shen Miao now understood where Shen Dongling got her confidence from. If Shen Dongling was only married to an ordinary official, she would definitely have to be careful with spending. However, now that the Wang family was extremely rich, and Wang Bi was working for the crown prince, Shen Dongling thought that if Emperor Wen Hui supported the crown prince, the world would eventually be in the crown princeâs hands. As someone who worked for the crown prince, Wang Biâs value would naturally increase. She was Wang Biâs first wife and would receive boundless glory. It was probably because of this that she became bold.
Life springs from sorrow and calamity; death comes from ease and pleasure. Shen Dongling couldnât keep a clear mind all the time, especially when she was swimming in wealth, so she couldnât see the whole situation. There were so many variables in the world, and no one could guarantee that the crown prince would definitely inherit the throne. Even if the crown prince inherited the throne, no one could guarantee that Wang Bi would continue to climb up the ladder.
âWang Bi is the crown princeâs man.â Shen Miao thought for a moment and said, âShen Dongling suddenly doing this must be related to Wang Bi, which means itâs related to the crown prince.â Shen Miao looked at Xie Jingxing. âMy relationship with the crown prince⦠She is up to something about my marriage.â